MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) -- Thursday's partial solar eclipse in the skies above our region may be tempting to view on a clear, beautiful late afternoon.
However, watching the spectacle without proper protection can create long-lasting problems with your vision.
In Thursday's partial eclipse, the sun will be partly blocked by the moon starting around 5:45 p.m. in the western sky. Intense incoming solar rays would still be emitted by the visible part of the sun. These rays are capable to reaching the light-sensitive part of the human eye, the retina, potentially causing temporary to permanent damage to the cells in the back of the eye. Sometimes, these effects aren't experienced for several hours after viewing with the naked eye. The longer a solar eclipse is seen without proper visual protection, and higher the risk for long-term visual impairments.
There are ways to catch the show in the sky without risking your sight:
- Find out if a local planetarium or astronomy organization is hosting a viewing party. Such places would provide telescopes equipped with the proper filters for public viewing.
- Purchase eyewear with the correct level of filtering, approved for solar viewing. Proper filters will usually contain a layer of chromium, silver, or aluminum in the lens. A #14 or darker welder's glass is appropriate for safe viewing of a solar eclipse. (Standard sunglasses do not provide this level of protection!)
- You can create a simple projection device. According to NASA:
Place a pinhole or small opening in a card, and hold it between the sun and a screen – giant sheet of white paper works – a few feet away. An image of the sun will be seen on the screen. Projected images of the sun's crescent during an eclipse may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree. You can also use binoculars to project a magnified image of the sun on a white card. However, you must never look through the binoculars at the sun.
The only time to safely see a solar eclipse without protective eye gear is during its totality, when no light sources from the sun are visible. Thursday's eclipse will not reach a total phase; therefore, ways to shield your eyes from the bright solar lights, and rays, are needed.
